Colonel-Stars-and-Stripes has a low-violence policy

In a bold step and a slightly ironic turn of events, Jim Carrey, who plays the main villain in the summer blockbuster Kick-Ass 2, has hinted that he’ll be refraining from PR and otherwise promoting the film on account of its violence. The actor tweeted about his reservations today, citing the recent Sandy Hook massacre as the reason he could not in good conscience go on to support it. If Kick-Ass 2 is anything like it’s predecessor he has grounds for concern, yet when Colonel Stars and Stripes (his character) is already one of the three main faces on the promotional film posters, you have to wonder how much of a point he can make with this.

His position is admirable, one that isn’t often made by actors nowadays. Still, writer Brendon Connelly has already mentioned the first Kick-Ass movie’s stance on violence, and I’m inclined to agree. It’s possible that the second film has taken the franchise in an entirely new direction—it’s happened before; Pirates of the Caribbean, here’s looking at you—but unlike the usual superhero films, Kick-Ass‘s main source of humor is in the absurdity of the violent lifestyle pursued by villains and heroes alike. The gory scenes alone might be cause for concern, but as a theme violence is both mocked and undercut rather than glorified. The "cool heroes" are depicted negatively as selfish antiheroes, the main protagonist chooses to live his life rather than fight dirty in anonymity…Carrey might already be preaching to the choir.